K chambers



Jan. 31, 1961 J. K. CHAMBERS 2,969,872

PACKAGE FOR ADHESIVE BANDAGES AND OTHER ARTICLES Filed June 5. 195? 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

INVENTOR @VMM .i ,A E BY ATTORNEYS Jan. 31, 1961 J. K. CHAMBERS PACKAGE FOR ADHESIVE BANDAGES AND OTHER ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 5, 195? THERMoPmsT/c coHT/NG ATTORNEYS United States Patent O PACKAGE FOR ADHESIVE BANDAGES AND OTHER ARTICLES `lohn K. Chambers, Orange, Conn., assignor to The Seamless Rubber Company, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed June 5, 1957, Ser. No. 663,701

1 Claim. (Cl. 206-63.2)

j This invention relates to packages or wraps for adhesive bandages and other articles, and more particularly to packages for articles which, when distributed, are in sterile condition, the package or covering being of a character to maintain the sterility of the contents and to permit removal of the article without it being contaminated before being put to use. The package may be used for wrapping adhesive bandages such as used in the ho-me and in hospitals, surgeons gloves, and other articles which have to be sterile before being applied to a wo-und or otherwise placed in use.

An object of the invention is to provide a package or Wrap in which there is marked simplicity of form and economy of material, there being a notable economy in the use of paper or similar material used for wrapping.

Another object is to facilitate the process of wrapping and enable the article to be quickly and conveniently packaged.

A still further object is to enable the packaged article, such as an adhesive finger bandage, for example, to be more easily removed from the package than has been possible heretofore.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a package for an adhesive bandage embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a step in the proc-- ess of wrapping;

Fig. 3'is an enlarged section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3A is an end View of the article shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of a wrapping strip containing more than one bandage, at an intermediate step in the process of wrapping;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of the wrapping strip 'in its initial form;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section on line 6 6 of Fig. l;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a modified form;

Fig. 7A is an end View of the package of Fig. 7;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7, showing the wrap in the process of being opened;

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8, showing a later stage in the opening of the wrap; and

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing another method of opening.

In the drawings, the packages selected for illustration are those for an adhesive bandage such as applied to iinger cuts and the like, the bandage having a textile compress or pad to be applied to the wound, the cornpress being intermediate of the ends of a backing exposing an adhesive at opposite sides of the compress. In this form the package is an elongated one, the length being several times the width and the thickness or depth in this case being very slight on account of the waferlike character of the enclosed article. In the case of wrappings for other articles, the relative dimensions may, of course, be different, although in most cases the packaged article will be of elongated or striplike shape.

In the form shown in Figs. l to 6, the wrapping for the adhesive bandage is one constructed of a single sheet or blank of thin semiopaque flexible paper, the blank initially being a flat elongated one having a width such that the same may be folded over the bandage from opposite sides, and the side portions of the blank brought together and adhered to each other substantially at the center of the bandage (longitudinally) and folded downwardly to form a flat narrow two-ply seal 20 extending lengthwise of the package, as shown in Fig. 1. This creates a two-ply joint extending from a line approximately at the center of the package toward one margin of the package. This joint has extremities or edges which in this case terminate at a location such that the face of the package body at which the joint is disposed is left free and unencumbered adjacent the left hand margin,

as shown in Fig. 3A, the free or distal extremities of the` plies of the sealing fold being in rather close proximity to the longitudinal center line of the package. takes up only a fraction of the package width, preferably -being of less than half of such width.

The paper blank or strip 21 in its initial at form is shown in Fig. 5, the same having at one face a coating This blankvf or strip may be initially a continuous blank cut to length I of adhesive extended over the entire face.

after the bandage has been wrapped therein, as herein.- after described. As shown in Fig. l, the package length exceeds the length of the bandage 22 to such extent that end portions 22a of the wrapping extend beyond the bandage. The blank 21 is laid on a table or suitable support with the adhesive surface uppermost and the bandage placed on the blank substantially at the longitudinal center of the latter, as indicated in Fig. 5. The bandage illustrated is of a well-known type having a backing strip of suitable material coated with an adhesive mass at one face, the pad or compress being carried at the center of the strip (lengthwise) and the pad being covered by protective facing strips fixed to the backing strip by the adhesive, the facing strips having terminal portions covering the pad or compress and overlapping each other.`

In the particular embodiment shown, the bandage is laid upon the blank 21 with the backing strip of the bandage uppermost. The side portions o-f the blank are then folded upwardly over the bandage, and the terminal portions brought together in the relationship shown in Fig. 2.

At this stage the terminal portions of the blank extend upwardly from the blank and they are adhered to each other by bringing their coated faces into contact and pressing them together. If desired, the pressing for forming a longitudinal upstanding sealing rib or flange may be effected through the use of pressure rollers, as indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 2. Not only is the lengthwise joint or seam formed, but end seals are created by pressing together the opposing paper faces that are extended beyond the ends of the bandage. The next step is to flatten down the upstanding flange shown in Fig. 2

so as to create the structure shown in Fig. l wherein the flange lies at against the package face. The joint part may, if desired, be pressed down and flattened against the package face by a suitable mechanical means or tool.

In this form the adhesive applied to one face of the blank is of cohesive nature so that, when the adhesivecoated surfaces at the longitudinal joint portion of the wrap and at the ends of the wrap are pressed into con bandage, and Fig. 6 shows the disposition of the layer Patented Jan. 31, i961 The fold In the second form (Figs. 7 to l0) the character of the`V wrapping material is somewhat dilerent, such material being a polished substantially transparent one suchas glassine paper. Also, the structure of the wrapping' is slightly diierent from that in thefrst form. The widthVr ofthe strip or blank has substantially the same relation# shipk to the bandage. width as in the rst' form, and as before the side portions of theA blank. are drawn up' and' foldedv over the bandage in a rmanner such that upstand` ing opposed narrow anges are' created tov produce a sealing joint or seam; In the case under discuss1`on,'how

ever, the wrapping paper is so placed laterally relativelyV tothe bandage that the base of the flange or rib structure is,A slightly to `one side of the center line of the package,

thel result being that in this case the freev edge of the flange is in aligned relationship or at any rate in close proximity to the adjacent margin of thewrapper body. Iri-` this case the otfcenter base line of thejoint is indicated at24, and the free (unfastened) edge of the flange is,` indicated at 2S.

One method of opening thewrapping conveniently Y and-"quickly isl shown by way of example in" Figs. 8 and 9. The package being held between the thumb and index linger of the left hand, the manipulator grasps between the thumb. and index finger of hisL right hand the remote end of the joint flange, as shown inl Fig. 8, and pulls'thek extremity or tip of the flange toward hin'ir so as to tear otttheflange or remove it at least'to aconsiderable extent, as shown'in Fig. 9. In this way, the package is" brokenv open lengthwise sufficiently to 'enable the'bandage to be grasped and easily removed.r K Another method of opening is to grasp the flange about midwayof its length so as to break into thewrap at the middle part, as indicated in' Fig. `l0.V These examples show the facility with whichthe wrap'can be opened, but other methods may beused. v 'u 1 In the formof Figs; '7' to IO; the paperorother wrapping material is adapted to be sealed by heat rather.V than by pressure alone.- The paper used for wrapping,

whether glassine or another kind of paperV or brous material, carries a suitable sealing material ofy a thermo,- plastic nature. The thermoplasticy substance used, such,

be contained in the pulp which is to be used in the rnanufacture of the paper, or it may be applied to the surface of the paper or other material as a separate operation before the strip ofA paper is made into ar package. In

the article shown in the drawings, the paper is of they latter kind, the inner surface having throughoutxa thin coating 26 not adhesive at room temperature butbecorning adhesive on application of heat.

4 extension of the latter beyond the extremity of the bandage should be sutlicient to provide for an effective end seal.

One advantage of the wrap herein described is marked economy in the use of the paper or like material. In wrapping, only one strip ofy paper need be used, and only Y one roll of paper need be handled. Bywrapping by this vto permit sterilization of the packaged article such as a bandage, plaster, glove or the like, and that after sterilization the package, in normal handling and storage, cannot bev penetrated by bacteria; and it will also be underw stood that the package can be opened forpextraction of the article in la manner such that in handling it contamination can be inhibited. p j I Inthe package herein described, the wrapper is formed to provide a body extended continuously across the botptom of the package and extended across the kupper part of the package to terminals formed as longitudinal facirig flanges brought together and sealed to each other and flattened down tok lie liatwise against the package body at the upper face ofthe latter. The lfacing flanges form a'two-ply tearing flange of substantially less width than the package andv located asymmetrically with respect to the upper Aface ofthe package. In the forms shown, the tearing ange has a width approximating one quarter ofthe width of the wrapper body. The ange extends w throughout the length of theV wrapper, and the sealedtogether ends of the wrapper lie substantially in the plane of the wrapper body.

It is noted also that the package containing the article has minimum thickness or depth, the same not being eny, cumbered by plies or otherwise in a manner to create a thick or clumsy package. yused in creating a.k seam and these are of thin flexible Two plies of the paper are material, and, moreover, are of limited lateral extent so that what slight protuberance from the package body is Lpresent is localized and of minimum area.

` strip-like wrapper of flexible, foldable, tearable material of greater length than the adhesive bandage, said wrapper for example, as vinyl resin or po-lyethyleneresin, may y e In this heat-sealed wrapping, the heat; Will be applied.

to the,v part of the wrapping which will serve as the tearing flange, and also to the two extremities of the WrappingA so-as to seal the package at the ends, thefront and back of the body of the package being iny face-to-face contact.

atthe ends throughout the width `of the package. ,These two operations of sealing by heat can be done very con-V veniently in a wrapping machine. Wherethe wrapping is done by machine, the wrapper blank will be a continuous strip initially in roll form, and spaced apart bandagesv can be'placed on` and foldedk within this strip; AfterV wrappingtincluding heat sealing)V the strippcan.

be; cut transversely, Vas diagrarnrnatically shown in Eig/,4L toseparatethe packages'.v At eachend of the wrapL the having four parallel fold lines extending longitudinally of the` strip-,like wrapper from one end to the other, dividing thepwrapperinto five panels, said ve panels including a middle panel, a pair of panels adjacent and folded back to overlie the middle panel and a pair of outermost panels, the two innermost fold lines being equally spaced from opposite longitudinal edges of the wrapper and the two outermost fold lines ,being equally Yspaced from opposite longitudinal edges of the wrapper, the middle" panel being at least as wide as the adhesive bandage and the sum of the widths of the panels adjoining the middle panel being equal to the width of the middle panel, the width of the outer panels each being no greaterthan half the width of the middle panel, the adhesive bandageY being interposed betweenthe inner surfaces of `the middle panel and the folded. back panels adjoining the middle panel, the opposing faces of the middle .panel and panels adjoining the middle panel being` sealed together transversely beyondthe ends of the adhesive bandage, the outermost panels being in faced contacting relation and sealed together throughout said contacting faces to form a longitudinal ange which can be pivoted from a position substantially perpendicularto the package to give thepackage a T-shaped conguration when viewed from one end to a position overlying one of' the panels adjoining the middle panel to 5 give the package a relatively at appearance when 2,721,550 viewed from one end. 2,803,560

References Cited in the flle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 152,213 2,279,842 smith et a1. Apr. 14, 1942 952,198

6 Banff Oct. 25, 1955 McIntyre et al. Aug. 20, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS Australia July 7, 1953 France Apr. 25, 1949 

